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Evergreen ground covers offer the ideal solution for grave planting because they look decorative all year round, require little maintenance and make a grave look neat even in winter. A hardy planting also saves the costs for new plants and thus also plenty of time. There is a wide range of groundcovers, but some types/varieties are particularly suitable for planting on the grave, which stand out due to their low maintenance and robustness.
Ground cover for the grave
Sunny grave location
Andean pad "Nana" (Azorella trifurcata "Nana")
- Formerly called "Minor".
- Growth: very flat, forms cushions, densely growing ground cover
- Growth height: three to five centimeters
- Flower: greenish-yellow
- Flowering period: May to June
- Fruits/berries: inconspicuous
- Characteristics: dark green foliage all year round, easy to care for, tolerates partially shaded locations
- Amount of plants: 24 to 26 plants per square meter
Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
- Growth: covering the ground, very dense, spreading extensively, upright stems, densely growing, evergreen groundcover
- Growth height: ten to 20 centimeters
- Flower: pink
- Flowering period: May to June
- Fruits/berries: edible, health-promoting fruits (harvest: mid-September to late October)
- Characteristics: green foliage all year round, very decorative, easy to care for, needs a sunny location
- Quantity of plants: six to eight plants per square meter
Bacopa "Weihenstephaner Gold" (Sedum floriferum "Weihenstephaner Gold")
- Very well known and widespread
- Growth: very dense, carpet-like, mat-like, clumps
- Growth height: between ten and 20 centimeters
- Flower: deep yellow - star-shaped
- Flowering period: July to August
- Fruits: capsules
- Properties: hardy, evergreen, requires little soil and care, no pruning required
- Amount of plants: five to eight plants per square meter
Cinquefoil feather carpet (Cotula potentillina)
- Growth: fast-growing, carpet-like, light ground cover in suboptimal locations
- Growth height: five to ten centimeters
- Flower: pale yellow to greenish yellow
- Flowering period: July to August
- Fruits/berries: no fruit decoration
- Characteristics: variegated, finely pinnate leaves, smells of honey, hardly any maintenance required in the best location. tolerates partial shade
- Quantity of plants: six to ten plants per square meter
tip: There are several types of feather carpets to choose from, which also make good grave plants and require just as little care, such as the green and dark feather carpets.
Hedge myrtle (Lonicera nitidia "Elegant")
- Growth: dense shoots, slow-growing
- Growth height: up to one meter without pruning
- Flower: creamy white, inconspicuous
- Flowering time: May
- Fruits/berries: crimson
- Properties: high cut resistance, tolerates partial shade, low soil requirements,
- Quantity of plants: two to five plants per square meter
Small-leaved periwinkle (Vinca minor)
- Growth: dense, low, carpet-like, slow-growing
- Growth height: ten to 15 centimeters
- Flower: violet-blue or white
- Flowering time: April to May, reblooming in autumn
- Fruits/berries: no fruit decoration
- Properties: dark green foliage, suitable location sunny to shady, requires nutrient-rich soil
- Amount of plants: five to seven plants per square meter
Red moss stonecrop (Sedum album)
- Very popular and widely used as grave planting
- Growth: carpet-like, creeping
- Growth height: five to ten centimeters
- Flower: white
- Flowering period: June to August
- Fruits/berries: capsules
- Properties: thrives best on poor grave soil, red, thick-fleshed leaves, hardy, low humus and nutrient requirement, prefers only sunny locations
- Quantity of plants: six to ten plants per square meter
Common heather (Calluna vulgaris)
- Growth: cushion-forming, densely bushy, flat, slow-growing, short stature
- Growth height: eight to twelve centimeters
- Flower: green, purple
- Flowering period: mid-August to mid-September
- Fruits/berries: no
- Properties: evergreen, tolerates partial shade, easy to care for, very hardy
- Amount of plants: seven to nine plants per square meter
Common heather, common heather, Calluna vulgaris
Star Moss (Sagina subulata)
- Mossy, evergreen groundcover
- Growth: cushion-forming, densely bushy, flat
- Growth height: three to 18 centimeters
- Flower: white
- Flowering time: April to May
- Fruits/berries: inconspicuous
- Properties: evergreen, needle-like leaves, easy to care for, very hardy, likes stony soil
- Quantity of plants: 15 to 17 plants per square meter
- Recommended variety: "Irish Moss"
Cranesbill (Geranium)
- Growth: cushion-forming, densely bushy, rigid
- Growth height: ten to 20 centimeters - depending on the variety
- Flowers: pink to violet depending on the variety
- Flowering time: June to July/August depending on the variety
- fruits/berries: beaked
- Properties: evergreen, also tolerates shade depending on the variety, easy to care for, likes dry and humus-poor soils
- Amount of plants: 24 to 26 plants per square meter
Sinnermann mountain avens (Dryas x suendermannii)
- Growth: broad, cushion-forming, carpet-like, creeping
- Growth height: five to 15 centimeters
- Flower: white with a yellow centre
- Flowering period: June to July/August
- Fruits/berries: decorative fruit after flowering
- Properties: evergreen, extremely long-lived, medium to dark green leaves, very easy to care for, pure sun worshiper
- Quantity of plants: ten to 12 plants per square meter
Medlar (Contoneaster dammeri radicans)
- Growth: very dense, moderately fast growing
- Growth height: between ten and 20 centimeters
- Flower: white
- Flowering period: May/June
- fruits: red until winter
- Properties: leaves no room for weeds
- Amount of plants: five to eight plants per square meter
tip: Among the contoneaster (cotoneasters) there are other evergreen ground covers with the same properties that are suitable for grave planting. These include, for example, "dammeri Coral Beauty" and "dammerie Jürgl".
Ground cover for shady, half-shady grave locations
Fat Man/Shadow Green (Pachysandra terminalis)
- Growth: Climbing and ground-covering, spreads by rhizomes, growing low and mat-like
- Growth height: 20 to 30 centimeters
- Flower: white
- Flowering time: April to May
- Fruits/berries: No fruit decoration
- Properties: evergreen, robust, undemanding, for shady and semi-shady locations, ideal for grave planting under/next to large trees
- Quantity of plants: eight plants per square meter
- Recommended varieties: "Green Carpet" and "Compacta"
Partridge berry (Mitchella repens)
- Growth: low, mat-forming,
- Growth height: five to ten centimeters
- Flower: white
- Flowering period: May to June
- Fruits/berries: small, dark red, suitable for consumption
- Properties: very hardy, undemanding, easy to care for, only thrives in partially shaded or shady locations
- Quantity of plants: twelve to 16 plants per square meter
Elf Flower (Epimedium)
- Growth: cushion-like, erect stems, weak-growing
- Growth height: ten to 40 centimeters - depending on the variety
- Flower: white, pink, orange, yellow
- Flowering time: April to May
- Fruits/berries: No fruit decoration
- Properties: does not tolerate sun in winter, not evergreen, but deciduous or evergreen
- Amount of plants: depending on the variety, ten to 17 plants per square meter
- Wintergreen Varieties: Dainty Elfflower 'Niveum', Warley Elfflower 'Ellen Willmott', Warley Elfflower 'Orangequeen'
Elf Flower 'Frohnleiten', Epimedium perralchicum
Common ivy (Hedera helix)
- Growth: Climbing and ground covering, fast and dense growing
- Height of growth: uncut up to 500 centimeters
- Flowers: green-yellow for the first time after about ten years
- Flowering time: September to October
- Fruits/berries: blue-black spherical fruits
- Properties: evergreen, very undemanding, extremely long-lived, most robust variety among the ivies, does well in the shade
- Quantity of plants: four to six plants per square meter
- Other ivy varieties for grave planting: ivy ovata, white-green ivy 'Glacier', Hedera hibernica
Common ivy, Hedera helix
Native hazel root (Asarum europaeum)
- Growth: very dense, spreading, creeping, mat-like, slow growth
- Growth height: ten to 15 centimeters
- Flower: brown, single
- Flowering time: March to April
- Fruits/berries: capsules
- Properties: evergreen, prefers partial shade, smells of ginger (root), requires humus-rich soil
- Quantity of plants: twelve to 15 plants per square meter
Asarum europaeum, hazel root
Cat's Paw (Antennaria dioica)
- Growth: very dense, spreading, upright stems
- Growth height: ten to 20 centimeters
- Flower: pink
- Flowering period: May to June
- Fruits/berries: no fruit decoration
- Properties: evergreen or silvery foliage all year round, prefers sunny to semi-shady, frost hardy, very easy to care for
- Amount of plants: about ten plants per square meter
- Note: cut off flowers and leaves after wilting
Common cat's paw, Antennaria dioica
Cherry laurel 'Mount Vernon' (Prunus laurocerasus 'Mount Vernon')
- Growth: compact dwarf shrub, flat to ground covering
- Growth height: 30 to 40 centimeters
- Flower: white
- Flowering period: May to June
- Fruits/berries: decorative fruit
- Characteristics: evergreen, very hardy, tolerates sun in summer - not in winter
- Quantity of plants: three to four plants per square meter
Creeping juniper 'Blue Carpet' (Juniperus squamata 'Blue Carpet')
- Growth: flat spreading dwarf shrub and ground cover, slow and dense growing
- Height of growth: uncut up to 50 centimeters
- Flower: inconspicuous in greenish-yellow
- Flowering period: June/July
- Fruits/berries: orange colored seed coats
- Properties: evergreen or steel-blue needles all year round, tolerates planting in graves in the sun or semi-shade, very hardy and undemanding, tolerates pruning
- Quantity of plants: one plant per meter
Creeping juniper, Juniperus horizontalis
Porcelain flowers (Saxifraga x urbium)
- Growth: carpet-like, dense,
- Growth height: five to 20 centimeters
- Flower: white, single
- Flowering period: May to June
- Fruits/berries: capsules
- Properties: evergreen or grey-green foliage all year round, very hardy, ideal for stone graves
- Quantity of plants: six to eight plants per square meter
Red carpet berry (Gaultheria procumbens)
- Growth: creeping, carpet-like, dense
- Growth height: ten to 20 centimeters
- Flower: light pink
- Flowering period: July to August
- Fruits/berries: red
- Characteristics: reddish foliage in winter, aromatically fragrant fruits (not edible), shiny green leaves in summer
- Quantity of plants: eight plants per square meter
Gaultheria procumbens
Candytuft/Snowcushion (Iberis sempervirens)
- Growth: very dense, spreading, upright stems, dense ground cover
- Growth height: 15 to 30 centimeters
- Flower: white, rich
- Flowering time: April to May
- Fruits/berries: pods
- Characteristics: green foliage all year round, undemanding to soil, bee friendly, ideal for planting in gravel soil
- Quantity of plants: eight to ten plants per square meter
Spindle shrub (Euonymus fortunei 'Darts Blanket')
- Growth: moderately fast-growing, cushion-forming, carpet-like, creeping
- Height of growth: uncut up to 50 centimeters
- Flower: inconspicuous in greenish-yellow
- Flowering period: June/July
- Fruits/berries: orange colored seed coats
- Characteristics: Evergreen, crimson fall foliage, tolerates grave planting in sun or shade, very hardy and hardy
- Quantity of plants: three to five plants per square meter
Spindle shrub, Euonymus
tip: Great color contrasts can also be created with the Spindle shrub varieties Yellow and White, all of which can be used as ground cover and climbing plants for graves.
Table yew (Taxus baccata "Repandens")
- Also called cushion yew and ground cover yew,
- Growth: flat, spreading, dense, slow-growing
- Growth height: 40 to 60 centimeters
- Flower: light pink
- Flowering period: July to August
- Fruits/berries: red
- Properties: shiny, slightly prickly leaves, ideal for a shady grave under trees, also tolerates a sunny location, hardy, but sensitive to late frost
- Quantity of plants: one plant per square meter
- Caution: toxic
Waldsteinia/ Trefoil Golden Strawberry (Waldsteinia ternata)
- Growth: very dense, spreading, creeping, carpet-like, slow growth
- Growth height: ten to 15 centimeters
- Flower: golden yellow
- Flowering time: April to May
- Fruits/berries: No fruit decoration
- Properties: does not tolerate sun, evergreen, ideal planting for shady/sunny locations, tends to proliferate
- Quantity of plants: eight to twelve plants per square meter
Golden strawberry, Waldsteinia, Waldsteinia ternata